Love's Destiny
by Violet Princess
Summary: Sora is unsatisfied with Matt and their relationship, so she goes to Tai for help, but finds something more. Matt, however, might be just a little to clingy for his own good. The rating is for MINOR dating abuse...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to write it! ) :
1. Phone Calls and Feelings

Love's Destiny: Part One  
Disclaimer/Author's Note: This is an old story that I am attempting to finish up because.well, I like things to be complete. I have no dealings whatsoever with the owner(s) or producer(s) of Digimon. However, I find the characters to be well adapted to fictional musings and suppositions. Although this first part contains some "Matt-bashing," there is no way I could leave a character alone and lonely (that is not redundant; they are two separate things). Part two will end with happy closure for all.  
Chapter 1: Phone Calls & Feelings  
Matt was just stepping outside when the phone rang shrilly. He shifted the weight burdened upon him by a guitar and grabbed the demanding telephone with his free hand, speaking rapidly into the receiver. "Yeah.no-gotta run. I'm late for practice. Call you later!" He was out the door before the caller had even hung up.  
  
*{}*  
Sora pressed 2 on speed dial to call his number. He picked up after the first ring, sounding rushed. "Yeah?"  
  
"It's me," Sora said, smiling as she pictured the impatient expression on his face that surely accompanied that tone. "Are you free to-"  
  
"No-gotta run," he interrupted exasperatedly. "I'm late for practice. Call you later!" A click left Sora frowning at the phone.  
*{}*  
  
the next day  
  
*{}*  
The clock on the bureau read 6:31; Sora glanced at her wristwatch and realized it was seven minutes fast. But that was okay; Matt should be done practice by now anyway, and it would be all right for her to call.  
  
She let the phone ring once, twice, five times before trying his cell. "Hi- "  
  
"Who is this?" he demanded.  
  
"Sora," she replied tartly. "Can-"  
  
"Hey, listen. Sorry, but practice was extended today, so we could work on some new songs. How-"  
  
She imitated his interruptions. "Bad connection; I have to go." She slammed the phone down in frustration at her boyfriend.  
*{}*  
Matt wouldn't have known that he had a call if his cell phone hadn't been set to vibrate. He raised a hand, signaling his fellow band members to pause as he pressed the green button.  
  
"Who is this?" he asked, irritated. It was Sora. 'Gosh darn it,' he thought. 'Doesn't she know that I can love her without spending every second with her?' Coming from him the pondering was almost ironic. He rolled his eyes and mouthed "Her" to the questioning drummer.  
  
"Hey, listen," he began, trying to keep frustration from his voice. "Sorry, but practice was extended today so we could work on some new songs. How-"  
  
"Bad connection; I have to go." Matt was left listening for static, but all he could hear was a clear dial tone signaling the end of the conversation.  
*{}*  
"Every relationship needs good communication." Sora recalled her mother's words and laughed wryly. Well, maybe this communication-lacking relationship would profit from a little healthy jealousy.  
  
She sat down on her bed by the telephone, formulating a mode of action and remembering how Matt had left her waiting there last night, never returning that promised call, how he always left her waiting to do his bidding. The complete thoughts she now allowed herself were so different from his brusque cutoffs that attached themselves to the end of her every phrase.  
  
Her hand paused over memory one. She recalled when Matt had first been in the room, examining everything, and had questioned sharply the numerical sequence. "Why is he one and I two?" he had demanded.  
  
Sora remembered being annoyed. "He's my oldest and best friend," she had protested. "He's always been there."  
  
"Change it," Matt had said flatly, the way he said it about everything. Change her appearance, change her style, change her schedule, change even her friends. He was overly possessive, set in his own ways and unaccustomed to having them crossed. So she had acquiesced to his demands, one after another, hoping that the acts would ease him from the pain so blatantly written across his face every time she uttered the word 'no'.  
  
But not the phone numbers. The victory was small enough to seem trivial to Matt, but large enough to give her confidence and remind her of her own independence.  
  
With all this in mind, she pondered the ponderous questions. She was not a flirt like Mimi, but what girl stayed home alone three Saturdays in a row? She was determined that it would not be she. Sora punched the button for memory one, and raised the phone to her ear.  
*{}*  
He answered the phone with the air of one who was not expecting a call, and his heart leapt at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, I'm free," he replied, 'but what about Matt?" He paused. "Oh, okay. "I'll meet you at the movies. 7:00? See you there!"  
*{}*  
Tai answered on the first ring, and from his "hello" Sora knew instinctively that all his life he had waited for this moment. "Do you want to do something together tonight?" she asked coyly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm free, but what about Matt?"  
  
His concern for his other best friend touched her, and her conscience scolded her white lie. "We had some.problems."  
  
They agreed on the movies at seven, and Sora couldn't ignore the pure joy she heard in his voice. A she hung up the phone she felt guilt pangs: not for what she was doing to Matt, but for what she was doing to Tai.  
*{}*  
When Sora arrived at the cinema promptly at seven, Tai met her with two tickets and a bag of popcorn. She pulled out her wallet, but he shook his head insistently. "It's on me."  
  
They talked as they waited for the film to start. "We haven't seen a lot of each other lately," he remarked. "I've been worried about you.  
  
Sora felt her body stiffen. "Why?" If he knew.  
  
If he knew, he didn't let it show, and Sora relaxed. "I guess just because I'm not always around to check up on you. And you've been so busy with your homework-I hope it's not too much stress." She should have known he would remember how she had always mentioned needing to study. Matt made her give that excuse whenever anyone besides he called.  
  
But Matt wasn't here now, and she could do as she liked. She smiled at the thought and caught up on conversation and laughter with Tai as they renewed their best friendship.  
  
The movie was a romantic drama. Sora cried openly when the couple was killed, and when Tai handed her a tissue she saw tears in his eyes also. He didn't seem to mind when she moved his arm from the back of the seat to around her shoulders. Nor did she.  
*{}*  
Tai couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this. As they left the cinema, Sora looked up into his tanned face, and for a moment saw the wild hair and goggles that she remembered. "Don't I get a kiss?" she said softly, smiling.  
  
Tai was taken aback. Then he bent down, and his lips gently massaged hers. To him, it was like a dream come true.  
*{}*  
Sora wished that the kiss would last forever. Matt's lips had often been so insistent, But Tai's sought more to give than to receive.  
  
His battered blue sedan was parked only a short distance from the cinema doors, and they reached it in no time. Tai held the passenger-side door open for Sora as she climbed in, the quintessence of chivalry.  
  
The interior of the old car shone from attention, and Sora found herself thinking of how much even more he would care for a person.  
*{}*  
Tai waited until the car was moving before he spoke. "I humored you tonight." She looked at him, puzzled. "The problem in your relationship with Matt is that you're trying to make him jealous by being with me." He kept his eyes on the road. "What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?"  
  
"Are you going to tell him?" Sora whispered. She looked down at her hands like a chided child.  
  
"Of course," Tai replied, shocked. "He's my best friend; I can't keep something like this from him."  
  
"Aren't I your friend, too?" She gazed at him with pleading eyes.  
  
He sighed. "All right. You have until next Saturday to make it up to him; otherwise, I tell."  
*{}*  
"Thank you," whispered Sora. His perception amazed her; how had he known of her deceit? But he had always been able to tell what everyone thought and felt: it was a gift. She changed the subject. "I had a really great time tonight."  
  
"Sora, don't make this hard," Tai choked. "Go back to Matt, and everything will be the way it was before. Love can be painful, but it's always worth it."  
  
She could tell that he meant for her to apply the admonition to her relationship with Matt, but she knew that the advice spawned from Tai's selfless love for her.  
*{}*  
They reached her house in silence. Tai walked her to the doorstep. "Remember what I said."  
  
He looked back at Sora as he drove away and offered an encouraging smile. His heart broke over the girl yet again as her empty brown eyes stared after him.  
*{}*  
Sora watched the sedan drive down the street and blew him a kiss. "I love you, Tai," she whispered. It wasn't until he had rounded the corner that the tears began to fall.  
*{}*  
  
end chapter 1 


	2. Consternation and Conflagration

Love's Destiny: Part One  
  
Chapter 2: Consternation and Conflagration  
Friday the following week  
Matt shifted the weight of his olive book bag to the other shoulder as he stood outside the near-empty school. It moved with reluctance, insistently clinging to the sweat-soaked spot on his polo shirt where the lazy afternoon heat had felt victory. Though teachers and students alike scurried to submit to the lust of a spring sun-kissed weekend, he hung back, holding onto to shimmer of hope that Sora was still inside, maybe discussing something with a teacher.  
  
He felt bad for neglecting her the past weekend, and she obviously also hadn't been happy with it; maybe he should skip practice tonight and take her somewhere fancy to catch up on their relationship. He could afford expensive restaurants, but not losing Sora. 'Just a few more seconds.' he thought to himself, glancing at his digital watch.  
  
But patience yielded little save the appearance of the tired janitor. "Home with ya, kid," he muttered, eager to terminate his tasks. Matt complied, following the exhaust fumes of a retreating mustard-hued bus.  
  
'Left alone five days in a row-is Sora avoiding me?' He frowned, missing the security of knowing that she would bend to his will and bend within his arms. She had been almost resistant during their single class together, reluctant afterwards to give him the insurance kiss he needed. But it was never enough. He yearned for her constantly, needing the reassurance of consistency and submission that his life had lacked for so long.  
  
Lately, though, he was scared by his need for power over her. It had always been a demanding relationship, but it was becoming harder to remember that he was not her personal dictator. It had been a mistake, that bruise, yet.Matt felt the sudden urge to spill his soul to someone as he turned his footsteps towards home.  
*{}*  
Tai arrived home from soccer practice rumpled and disheveled. A shin guard hung loosely askew below his knee, and as he discarded it, the wall telephone rang. He tiptoed gingerly towards it, in an attempt to lessen the trail of mud clumps that suddenly dropped after being attached to his cleats for two hours.  
  
"Hello?" he spoke into the receiver. He scooted into a chair and began untying his laces; this would be a long conversation.  
*{}*  
"Tai?" Matt's voice was anxious and pleading, unable to hide the distinctive tremors. "I'm in trouble, and I need your help."  
  
"Just relax," came the soothing reply. "Tell me all about it and we'll work something out." Matt could feel some of the stress leave just from hearing that calm voice. Tai was such a peaceful figure; no one else could have taken charge yet kept control in their digiworld years that now seemed to be part of an innocent and distant past.  
  
"You're good to talk to; did anyone ever tell you that? Why aren't you ever around so we can do stuff together?"  
  
"Anytime; I just know that you tend to keep yourself busy with your band. Now, what do you need to get off your back?"  
  
Matt took a deep breath, and then let it out audibly. "It's Sora," he began tentatively. "I don't know, I mean I think that I might be.injuring her." Suddenly he was talking fast. "I would never hurt her, you know that Tai, I love her too much to ever hurt her, but sometimes I come so close because I just need her so much, and I'm like a darn dictator with her, just to assure myself that she must love me because she listens, and-"  
  
Tai cut him off gently. "Slow down, buddy; I'm not a machine!"  
  
Matt took another breath. "She's been avoiding me. And I'm scared that she doesn't love me, that she'd leave me. I couldn't take that! You abandoned me for soccer, and she's all I've got. I can't let go of her, and I don't know why, but I'm just holding on too tightly for our own good."  
  
"Matt. We're all here for you when you need us. I'm your best friend, and you can talk to me like this anytime. I always have time for you, for everyone. Don't be scared that we'll desert you or anything, because it won't ever happen. Now, I'll talk to Sora to get both sides of the story, and I'll figure something out. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." He paused. "Who da man?"  
  
"You da man!" they shouted in unison, and hung up, having never quite outgrown that childhood routine initiated so long ago. Matt heaved a sigh of relief. It felt so good to get some of the weight off his shoulders.  
  
But quenching respite was fleeting. He cringed as that singeing surge of guilt once again washed over him in blazing waves. The smoldering feelings pent up inside always managed to escape; their fiery destructions left heaps of ashes, crumbled, charred, and smoky. And they covered Sora from head to toe in blackened soot.  
*{}*  
Tai ran a hand through his unruly brown mop. How had he gotten himself involved in this mess? He sighed knowingly-he could never turn down his friends in good times or bad. But this was getting almost out of hand. He grabbed a cereal bar from the pantry and collapsed back into the wooden chair after straightening the gingham cushion. Who does the advisor turn to for help?  
  
"Think rationally, Tai," he told himself aloud. He'd managed to hold onto his wits for fifteen years, and in worse situations. But this was something entirely new, almost like the contents of the Dear Abby letters his mother read before discarding the comics page for the rest of the family to jump upon. Nonetheless, Matt trusted him to see Matt and Sora through this, and he would not fail to try, hopefully would not fail at all.  
  
"Sora must not have done anything about what happened last weekend with the movies," he reasoned. "She must be dodging Matt because she's ashamed-and it's all my fault! I should never have gone along with that foolhardy, harebrained scheme of hers. I didn't act responsibly, and I should have.o, to heck with this whole thing!"  
  
"But wait," whispered a tiny tinny voice in the back of his mind. "You enjoyed every minute of that night. Break them up, and you could have Sora all to yourself, have reality ooze from the dreams you've always wished would come true."  
  
Preposterous! Tai shook his head violently, appalled at the vicious thought. "Never could I betray by friends," he muttered determinedly. "I've come way too close to that already because of carelessness. They can work this out." He would stain to put all his strength into resolving this issue and reuniting the confused couple. Sure, he loved Sora more deeply, more fully, truly, and purely than anyone, even he himself, could ever guess, but his life was one of constant sacrifice; another would only fulfill the expected routine.  
  
"I have to talk to Sora tonight," he decided. "The matter needs close attention and quick action." And so Tai plunged himself into the problem, hoping to remove the wedge driven between his two closest and dearest friends that, contrary to self-held beliefs, was not his fault. But little did he know, little does anyone know until it's too late, that the triangular flame of passion will not cease its treacherous blaze until someone is burnt. 


	3. Concerns and Confessions

Love's Destiny: Part One  
  
Chapter 3: Concerns and Confessions  
Sora lay flopped on her bed, flipping through her large photograph album. Pictures chronicled friendship, fun, growth and maturity. Many of the poses and candids featured her with Tai, and she felt a pleasant tickle as she saw his tanned arm thrown casually around her shoulders more than once. Why had she in real life eventually shrugged it off, replaced it with Matt's? Star struck and stupid, that's what she had been.  
  
She reminisced of golden days spent together in tag games and snow people, splash fests and arm wrestlings, bounce parties that had broken the springs in the very mattress she lay on. And she had let it all go so that she could have what other girls screamed for, when Tai had been more than anyone could ever want.  
  
Had she realized her mistake too late, or could she fix her errors? Matt had been only a wolf in sheep's clothing for her, and Sora ached to have real love to call her own. She knew that that love existed in Tai's heart, but he would never free her from Matt, not when it would hurt his other best friend. There had to be some way to work this all out  
  
Suddenly the phone rang. She reached for it eagerly, hopefully. It was Tai. "Sora, we need to talk."  
  
She barely heard the words he said in her excitement, just reveling in the sound of his voice. "Tai, it's you!"  
  
"Yes, it's me; I probably should have said that first. Are you free to talk, or do you have homework?'  
  
"No." Joy surged through her as she discarded that binding excuse once and for all. "No, I don't have homework. Talk as long as you want, and I'll be here."  
  
"Okay. This is about you and Matt. He called me, and-"  
  
"Look, Tai, I have to tell you something, but I can't over the phone. Please, could you come over, now?"  
  
'Sora, you know I'm always here for you, but don't try to pull something like you did last Saturday. We need to be serious."  
  
Gosh, how much that hurt. Did he think that that had all been a game? "I just need a shoulder to cry on. Please!"  
  
"All right; I'll be there in one shake of a lamb's tail." They hung up, and Sora quickly glossed on lip shimmer before going down to wait by the door-just in case, though that wasn't the main thing on her mind right now. It was high time that Tai knew the truth. About everything.  
*{}*  
Tai sat on the gingham-upholstered loveseat beside Sora, and looked at her. "What did you want to tell me?" he asked gently."  
  
"Matt," she whispered. "He doesn't love me."  
  
"Sora, I just talked to him, and he's scared that you don't love him! This should be easy to fix; the two of you just need to spend a little more tome together. Why-"  
  
"Tai!" Her plea was so heart-wrenching that he just turned and gazed at her with concern emanating from his caramel eyes. "Tai, he.he hurts me."  
  
Gosh, how good it felt to finally let that out, better that Atlas would feel if the world was lifted off his back. "I don't think it's intentional, but I can't take it anymore. He just doesn't appreciate me for anything more than a kissing partner. He's really hurting himself the most by doing this because he doesn't know what he needs. And he's hurt me, too. Not on purpose, but I give in because I don't know how to help him, and that's what pains me inside and out."  
*{}*  
  
flashback.  
  
*{}*  
Sora stood on her front porch and turned to go inside after a long date. "Matt, however, was not ready to let her go. "One more kiss," he begged, entreating her with the eyes that so many saw as a treat. But their magic no longer worked on her.  
  
"It's really late," she began.  
  
Matt would hear no more. He grabbed her slim wrist with hands grown tough from years of fingerpicking, and pulled her towards him, insistently pressing his lips to hers. His tongue fought to open her clamped mouth but she resisted, yanking away from his embrace. She ran inside, rubbing the red marks he had left on her arm.  
  
Matt had never brought up that night again in the two weeks since, but that was when she first began to doubt the sincerity of his love. For true love is pure, surpassing physical infatuation and longing more for soul's presence than that of the body.  
*{}*  
  
end flashback.  
  
*{}*  
Tai had remained silent through Sora's outburst, but now he sighed deeply and reached for the telephone on the end table with the familiarity of one who has spent much of his life in that house, and the desperation of one who is at his wits end with a problem. He dialed a number, and then turned to Sora while waiting for it to ring. "Matt's going to join us," he said with terse tenderness. "Then we'll resolve this issue once and for all.  
*{}*  
It was with tense apprehension that Matt approached Sora's front porch. So many dates had ended here; would their relationship follow those fated footsteps? He ran a hand through his blond mop, and then pushed open the maroon oak door that creaked forebodingly.  
  
He walked in to find Sora and Tai on the loveseat, but the latter moved so Matt could sit next to the other half of the issue. Tai looked at one, then the other. "All right," he said cheerfully. "Let's mold our problems into solutions!"  
  
Sora grinned at the corny expression. "You're not a marriage counselor!"  
  
"Nor am I a divorce court judge," came the even reply. "Both of you need to tell each other what you've told me, so we all get our facts straight, and then we can work it out. Sora?"  
  
The girl took a deep breath. "Matt, you always end up hurting me. I feel like I don't matter except when you want attention, and even then that's all I am to you. I brought it upon myself, by trying to be something I wasn't, but now it has to stop."  
  
Matt gasped at her stinging statement. "It's not true!" he cried, ignoring Tai's attempts to remain calm and sustain tranquility. "I couldn't hurt you, because I don't want to lose you!" In reply, Sora rolled up her sleeve to reveal the faint red line left from two weeks ago. "So I make mistakes," he continued, growing uptight, "but I couldn't risk you leaving like everyone else did!"  
  
Sora looked up inquisitively. "Everyone else?" she inquired.  
  
"Yes!" Suddenly years of hidden feelings writhed within their bonds and escaped, abandoning hesitation as they poured out of Matt's mouth. "I lost my mom in the divorce-she's too far away now to visit regularly-and T.K. too, especially now that he doesn't need a big brother to guard him any more. And Gabumon, our ways parted, and I can't have you desert me on top of all that!" His voice grew shrill with emotion, peaked, and cracked, the sound waves scattering like the people who had touched his life.  
  
Tai opened his mouth, but Sora quieted him with a hand gesture. "Let me handle this." She turned to Matt. "What do you love most about me?"  
  
He looked up with empty eyes. "The fact that finally I have someone to count on, who will always be there for me no matter what."  
  
She nodded. "That's what I thought. Matt, I'm still only best friend material to you; that's what you were looking for and needed all along. I subconsciously disillusioned myself into believing that it was more so I could help you, and you also fell for it. It's not love-it never was-but as friends I guarantee you that Tai and I will never let you down."  
  
At the full realization of her words Matt slumped down in the seat as if a fatal bullet had seared through his heart; though the organ still pumped with blood, it felt destroyed. When he looked up again, his face held the emotions previously trapped in that pulsing orb, but they were topped with a new expression: independent determination.  
  
"You're right," he announced. "I was searching for something to depend on, and love couldn't give me that-though goodness knows I tried. I guess I just needed a good smack in the face to see where the real pain was, and now that it's in the open, that pain can heal. My friends will always be there for me when I need them, no matter what happens, and there are some things I have to deal with alone, on my own. I can accept that. Can you accept my apologies?"  
  
They nodded solemnly. "With one stipulation," Tai cautioned, wagging a finger at Matt.  
  
"What.?"  
  
Tai winked at Sora. "That you agree to pay for it by being the victim of a massive pillow massacre!" And with that the two teenagers grabbed the couch cushions and began creaming their former, present, and future best friend.  
*{}*  
  
thirty minutes later.  
  
*{}*  
The battered cushions remained sprawled on the floor, and Tai plopped down onto one, exhausted from exertion. Matt had just left for practice, and the battle had ended in a three-way truce. Now Sora, slightly out of breath, crawled over to Tai and leaned over. "What do you love most about me?" she whispered.  
  
Tai looked into her starry brown eyes. "If I had to pick just one thing, I couldn't say your gorgeous face. I couldn't say the sparkling sheen of your hair, or the gracefulness of your hand reaching for mine." He paused. "I love you because of who you are inside, because of the bond we share and our promise for a happy blessed future together."  
  
He reached up, intent on the cherry blossom smile flowering upon her lips, and kissed his soul mate. And two hearts could be heard in syncopated synchronization, beating together as they always had and always would.  
*{}*  
  
that night.  
  
*{}*  
Matt stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror that was still slightly foggy from leaving the window closed during his shower. He had learned a lot about himself today, who he was and who he wasn't, but mostly he had learned about mistaken love. If it wasn't the real thing, as he knew too well, it could leave a scarred heart. He no longer needed love, he decided.  
  
The pain of losing people would heal on it's own, and quickly with the help of supportive friends, but that scar could only heal with true love. He, however, was not to be blessed by that fact. Making eye contact with his face through the droplets, Matt vowed that he would never love again.  
*{}*  
  
End Part One  
*{}* 


End file.
